


We Can Be Enough

by iamthececimonster



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: Bisexual Character, Coming Out, Everybody is Queer, F/F, F/M, Gay, M/M, Pansexual Character, Pride, it's real queer, jake is queer, minor fluff, rosa is queer, supportive family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-13
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2019-06-26 14:55:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15665490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamthececimonster/pseuds/iamthececimonster
Summary: Jake comes out to the rest of the 99 as pansexual. It gets real cheesy up in here.Alternate Title: PANdemonium. (Oh yeah. It's that kind of time)





	We Can Be Enough

**Author's Note:**

> Just to preface - I know a lot of people say Jake is bi, which is also totally fine. I just felt like he might lean more towards pansexual, for reasons probably largely to do with my own sexuality. Write what you know, right? Anyway don't hate me. I just really <3 Queer Jake. (Also I cried like an actual child and had to pause the episode when Rosa came out because I literally could not stop crying.)
> 
> Anywhoooo shout out to Jimmy for helping me so much with this fic (including advice re: tshirts - all the shirts exist, check out lookhuman.com for more details) i luh u so much, shout out to James for being the best beta ever even though your comments were mostly "This is so gay I love it so much" and shout out to James' fiancee for actually beta'ing it when he was asleep.

It happened the same way so many things happened in the life of Jacob Santiago-Peralta. Unexpectedly, unplanned for, and with him flat on his heels, trying to improvise a reasonable answer. He had never exactly been known for thinking ahead, and he stubbornly claimed that the evidence would currently suggest that planning ahead only had a 50/50 shot for working out great. The other 50% of the time, it, pardon the pun, blew up in his face. The engagement he’d spent months planning worked out exactly how he’d hoped it would. The wedding included an unexpected bomb threat and heaven only knows how many other snags. A freaking dog ate their wedding cake.  
So, when Rosa approached him in the break room while he ate his afternoon snack - technically he called it trail mix, but Rosa was pretty sure it was just mostly just M&Ms, peanuts, and fruit snacks - and told him she needed to talk to him, he expected nothing too out of the ordinary.  
“I was talking to Alicia last night.” She started, and Jake smiled to himself, thinking of how excited Rosa had been to have dinner again with the very funny brunette, though she had threatened to kill him in his sleep if he told anyone she had grinned about it.  
“Is that what the kids are calling it nowadays?” Jake asked with a grin.  
“You’re a nightmare, Peralta.” She scowled. He held his hands up in surrender. “I’m not going to tell you about my sex life.” She paused for a moment. “Although, it’s great. She’s great.” Another pause. “Don’t tell anyone I said that. I’ll stab you in the throat.”  
Jake mimed zipping his lips. “I will tell no one that you really like your girlfriend. God forbid anyone finds out.”  
Rosa rolled her eyes. “Anyway, she asked why she hadn’t met my parents. I had to explain that whole thing. Which was horrible. So many feelings. Anyway, I mentioned that you had helped me come out to my parents. She said that was really nice of you, and said that it was good for people in the community to support each other.”  
Jake’s mouth opened almost comically. “But I…”  
“I told her you were straight.” Rosa interrupted. “She mentioned that that surprised her, but that it was still cool of you to help.”  
“Oh, okay. Uh…” Jake started.  
“But then I was thinking about it. I gotta ask man…”  
Jake stood up suddenly, a panicked look in his eye, and started for the door, abandoning his snack. “I gotta go.” He bolted from the room and disappeared.  
Rosa sat there for a moment, confused and more than a little alarmed. “Well shit.”  
She walked out to the bullpen, but the other detective was nowhere to be found. She stuck her head into Captain Holt’s office, to ask if he had seen Peralta.  
“Oh, yes. He said he was not feeling well suddenly. Said it was maybe food poisoning, and considering his diet, that would not be surprising. He looked pale. I sent him home.” Holt had responded in his quiet, clipped way. “Why?”  
“Oh.” Rosa was luckily very quick on her feet. “I just needed a signature so I can file this case I’m working on. You mind if I go grab that from him real quick?”  
“Certainly, Detective Diaz. I do hope whatever he has is not catching, though.” Holt nodded, waving her away.  
Before she turned, she took note of the tiny rainbow flag in her captain’s desk organizer. Mind spinning, she grabbed her helmet and headed out towards the apartment Jake and Amy shared. Luckily, Amy had given her a spare key when Jake moved in, just in case of emergencies. Apparently, Jake used to have the emergency spare key, but since he lived there now, it wasn’t practical. So far, the only emergency had been when Rosa collected their mail while they were on their honeymoon. But, after knocking for the second time (and Rosa knew he was home - the remarkably practical car he’d purchased with Terry’s guidance after he’d sold the first one to pay Terry back was sitting in the assigned parking space), she decided this constituted an emergency.  
Fitting her key into the lock, she knocked one more time and then shouted into the door. “Jake, I’m coming in whether you want me to or not. So you better be decent.” Then she pushed the door in and was presented with a very confusing sight.  
Jake was sitting on the sofa, though a more accurate description would be that he had crumpled into the sofa. He clung to one of the throw pillows Amy had added as decoration, his face buried in the plush fabric. His shoulders were shaking.  
“Whoa. Whoa.” Rosa rushed over, dropping her helmet on the floor by the door. “Jake, breath man. What the hell.”  
“I...I…” He stuttered into the pillow.  
“Jake, man, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to freak you out. I just…” Rosa did NOT feel qualified to be having this conversation. She didn’t do emotions. But Jake had been a good friend and helped her when she was freaking out, so. She could do this. For him, for their friendship. She gulped.  
“Rosa, I can hear you freaking out from all the way over here.” Jake lifted his head from the pillow and stared at her, sitting on the opposite end of the sofa. He was smiling slightly.  
“I just...Uh. I don’t know what to do here, man.”  
“Listen. You. Uh. You didn’t say anything? To anyone, I mean?” Jake tried to calm his breathing.  
“Dude, what the hell? No.” Rosa frowned.  
Jake nodded, breathing out slowly. “The thing is, yeah. Yeah. I’m. I’m, uh. Well, I like to use the term pansexual?”  
Rosa nodded. “I’m familiar.”  
“I just...I mean, it’s. Well.”  
“Does anyone know?”  
“Gina? And Amy, of course. She knows everything about me.”  
“Why didn’t you…”  
“Tell anyone?” Jake rolled his eyes. “Yeah, well. The world doesn’t really like bi or pan guys. Everyone just assumes you’re secretly gay and not wanting to tell people.”  
“You’re...that’s so true and so fucked up.” Rosa felt her temper rising. So often, she’d had similar conversations - never straight enough, never gay enough. It was infuriating. But Jake didn’t need her anger right now. Maybe later. But not now.  
“It really is. And besides. We’re cops. It didn’t exactly seem like a great thing to be telling people. But, you know. Everyone seemed pretty chill about Holt. So, I was going to tell everyone, but I was kind of a chicken, so I kept putting it off. Then, I started dating Amy, and I really, really like her, so I figured it didn’t matter. But it was eating me up. Then I worried they were gonna think I was cheating on Amy, or leaving Amy or whatever. Then Amy convinced me that was crazy. Then you came out, and I didn’t want people to think I was trying to...I don’t know. One up you or something? And there was always just bigger stuff to worry about.”  
“Yeah. Besides, it’s not like it’s anyone’s business, right?”  
“Exactly. It’s by far not the most important thing about me. Way cooler stuff.” Jake smiled. “But please, appreciate how many PAN puns I’ve passed up on over the years.”  
“You must be busting at the seams.” a small smile played at the corner of Rosa’s mouth. “I mean, you could still tell people.” A thought occurred to her. “Does...does your mom know?”  
Jake actually laughed. “I think she must? I mean, the woman raised me. I had probably way too many Boyz II Men posters on my walls as a kid.”  
“That speech?” Rosa asked.  
“Yeah. I always thought I should maybe, you know, actually tell her.”  
“Do you, uh...want to?”  
“Like, right now?”  
“I mean, you have the speech prepared. I’ll call Holt, tell him you’re super sick and Amy asked me to take you to the doctor, it’s chill.” Rosa shrugged. “Besides. If I let you fester any longer, you’ll lose your cool again.”  
“Well, that much is definitely true.” Jake stared at his shoes. “Alright. Fine.” He stood up. “But I’m calling Amy first.”  
Rosa nodded. She pulled her own phone out to call Holt. “I’m going to go in the hall. Meet me out there when you’re ready. You’re driving. I’m not getting another several mile Heimlich.”  
Jake just chuckled, waving her away as he called his wife at work.  
“Jake?” Amy was immediately on edge.  
“Hey, Ames. I’m okay, everyone is okay.” Jake immediately reassured her.  
“Oh good. What’s up?”  
“So, uh. Idk if anyone told you, I left work kind of abruptly. Told Holt I was sick, came home and had a fun little panic attack.”  
“Jake! Are you okay? Should I come home?”  
“No, no. Rosa kinda followed me.”  
“What?”  
“Well, so the thing is. She found out my ‘big secret.’”  
“Your what now?” Amy felt herself getting confused.  
“She found out I’m pan.” Jake pushed all the words out in a rush.  
“Ah. Well.” Now she felt kind of panicked.  
“It’s cool, I guess. Kind of feels good to have told her?” Jake felt a weight lifting from his chest. “I mean, cuz she gets it, ya know?”  
“Of course, babe.” Amy smiled, relieved, knowing just how stressed her husband had become about the part of him he’d been keeping from their friends.  
“So, uh. She told me that since I helped her tell her parents, she’d go with me to tell my mom.”  
“Oh, Jake! That’s wonderful!”  
“Right now.”  
“Oh! Uh. Well, good luck? Call me after. I’ll pick up pizza on the way home. Tell Rosa to stay for dinner.” Amy felt her heart clench a little, hoping her mother-in-law would be as supportive as she thought Karen would be.  
“Of course. I love you.” Jake felt his heart racing a little.  
“I love you, too, Jake. So much.”  
“And, Ames?”  
“Yeah?”  
“Thanks.”  
“What?”  
“For. Idk. Loving me, I guess. For being you and loving me.”  
Amy smiled, her heart warming. “The joy is mine. Good luck, Jake.”  
“I'll see you tonight.” Jake hung up, and found Rosa outside his apartment, leaning casually against the wall, staring off into space. She started when he closed the door behind himself and locked it.  
“All set?” She asked, face serious.  
“Ready as I'll ever be.” Jake gulped a little, starting down the hallway. “Holt give the okay?”  
“Oh yeah. Piece of cake.” She pushed off the wall. “Alright, Peralta. Let's go.”  
He nodded, leading the way to his car. Rosa said nothing as he picked a mixed CD and turned the volume up. Too loud for conversation. He sang, badly, along to the cheesy songs, and Rosa nodded in time with the beat. Before the end of the CD, Jake was parallel parking outside his mom's brick townhome. Rosa stood silent as he knocked, hand curled in his pocket to avoid fidgeting too much. After a beat, Karen Peralta answered the door.  
“Jake?” She looked concerned. “Is everything okay?”  
“Yeah, Mom. I'm fine. Can we come in? This is my friend Rosa, you remember her, right?”  
“Of course!” Karen moved to let the detectives into her house. “How are you, Rosa?”  
“Fine.” Rosa nodded.  
Karen nodded back, long since given up on trying to get the taciturn young lady to talk more. “Can I get either of you a drink or something?”  
Rosa shook her head.  
“Actually, Mom, can you sit down?” Jake gestured to the sofa. “I need to tell you something.”  
Karen sat, on the very edge of the cushion. Jake sat across from her, staring at his hands. Rosa sat in a chair in the corner, propping one leg up on the other knee and crossing her arms.  
“Is everything alright, Jake?” Karen's brow furrowed. “Is Amy okay? Where is she?”  
Jake smiled. “Oh, she's great. She's at work. She's wonderful.” Jake followed his mom's gaze to where Rosa sat. The curly haired Latina nodded to him, face softening. “I just needed to tell you something, and, uh. Rosa’s here for moral support. Cuz I helped her with something similar.”  
Karen nodded again. “Well. Alright. If everyone's okay. Whatever it is, Jake. You can tell me.”  
Jake took a deep breath.

About an hour later, a teary Karen hugged her only slightly less teary son in front of her door. “You know I love you, no matter what. Thank you for finally telling me.”  
“I'm sorry it took me so long, Mom. I love you, too.”  
“Send my love to Amy, too, please. You both need to come by for lunch some time.”  
“I will. She's sorry she missed you. Thanks for everything, Mom.”  
“Of course, Jake.” She hugged her son once more and then opened the door. “Rosa.” She stopped the other detective. “Thank you. For helping him.”  
“It's no big deal.” Rosa replied, gruffly. She was overwhelmed by the amount of emotion the Peralta family had displayed over the last hour.  
“I know you don't really do them, but can I hug you?” Karen asked, her hand on the younger woman's shoulder.  
“Uh. I guess?” Rosa coughed, shocked slightly by the strength with which Jake's mom hugged her, so suddenly. She awkwardly patted the other woman's arm.  
“Well, we gotta go, Mom.” Jake unraveled his mom's arms from around Rosa’s torso.  
“Right. Right. Love you!” She waved as the detectives walked back to Jake's car.  
“Love you, too!” Jake called back.  
When they got to the car, Jake turned the key the ignition, and then turned to Rosa. “Is it bad that….idk, it kind of feels like bragging that that went so well?”  
Rosa shook her head. “No way, Jake. Nope. Listen. I'm GLAD that went well. And my family? Well, my dad is coming around. I told him about Alicia this morning. He wants to meet her.”  
“Oh that's so great!” Jake exclaimed.  
“It is. And my mom, well. Either she'll come around, or she won't. But besides that. Your mom is awesome. I'm glad she's so supportive. And you. Well. You made sure I had a supportive family even if my other family is being shitty about it. So don't feel guilty for even a second.” Rosa's voice was stern, her face serious.  
Jake pondered for a moment. “Alright. You're a good person, Rosa. Thank you for going with me.”  
“Never tell anyone I'm a good person.”  
Jake rolled his eyes. “I won't.”

The pair got back to the apartment building as Amy was walking up to the front door with 2 pizza boxes. A six pack of Rosa and Jake's favorite cheap beer was balanced precariously on top. Quickly, they caught up to her. Rosa grabbed the beer, Jake took the pizza boxes, and Amy hiked her bag more comfortably on her shoulder. She had Jake's computer bag across her chest - he had left the precinct without it. He leaned down to kiss her cheek, and they rode the elevator cheerfully. He recounted the conversation with his mom in animated detail, the newfound freedom settling warmly in his gut. Rosa exaggerated the amount of tears and smiled at Jake's excitement as they ate greasy pizza and watched reruns of Property Brothers on tv.  
“So.” Amy started, cautious, when there were only a few slices of pizza left and they had all started on their second beer. “Are you gonna tell the rest of the precinct?”  
Jake stopped chewing for a second. Rosa put her beer down without taking another sip. Jake finished chewing and then swallowed, still quiet.  
Finally, he spoke. “I kinda want to?”  
“You should, then, man.” Rosa piped up. “I'll kill anyone who says any dumb shit.”  
“I don't doubt that.” Jake said with a smile.  
“I'll help.” Amy added quietly. The tendon in her jaw tensed slightly, and her fist clenched.  
Jake leaned over and kissed her forehead. “I think Rosa would being helping YOU, babe. And I love you for that.” He leaned back against the sofa and took her hand in his. “But hopefully, no one dies.”  
“You're gonna make it dramatic, aren't you?” Rosa rolled her eyes.  
“Who!?” Jake gasped, placing his hand over his heart dramatically. “Me!? Never!”  
“Just tell me what you need, man. You're an idiot.” Rosa laughed, taking a sip of her beer.  
Amy just smiled, leaning against her husband's warm, strong shoulder.  
“Be in the briefing room at 9:30 am on Monday morning, it'll be….PANdemonium.” Jake winked.  
“Oh god. I hate it already.” Rosa groaned.  
“No but seriously. We're gonna need Gina's help. What's everyone doing on Saturday afternoon?” Jake looked from his wife to his friend.  
“I'll be here.” Rosa agreed.  
“You know I'm free.” Amy kissed Jake's cheek and stood up to bring the empty pizza box to the trash and get something to wrap the leftovers in.

Saturday afternoon, the apartment was buzzing with activity. Gina and Jake were gleefully plotting the “Coming Out of a Lifetime.” Something to do with a confetti cannon and a recording on Gina’s weird sound mixer? There was a boombox involved and Amy was carefully lettering a sign.

Monday morning came quickly and Jake woke up with jitters. With a smile, Amy handed him a surprise she'd gotten him. A new plaid flannel button down. It was a bright blue, with thin lines of yellow and pink. She helped him button it, giving him a long, slow kiss after she had done up every button. He was left a little breathless and light headed at the end.  
“I'm so proud of you, Jake.” she whispered into the early morning quiet of their apartment.  
He just smiled, pressing their foreheads together. “I love you, Amy.”  
“I love you, too.”  
His eyes were shining gleefully when he leaned back. “Now let's go blow some minds, my darling wife.”  
“Ready when you are, husband.”

To say it was dramatic would be an understatement. Perhaps _the_ understatement. The precinct was sitting in the briefing room, and Holt was staring at his watch. Jake and Gina were still not there and the time was ticking closer to 9:30. Gina slid in the door at 9:28, spinning gracefully and landing in her seat with flourish.  
“Sorry darlings. Mommy duty called.” She flashed a bright white smile.  
Rosa snickered into her jacket collar and Amy coughed a little too loudly to be believable. The three ladies adamantly refused to look at each other for fear they would break and just start laughing.  
“Did you happen to see Per-” Holt started to ask, but was cut off abruptly by a loud sound from the bullpen.  
Drums started to beat and a horn was blowing loudly. Just as they all started to stand up and turn to the door, Jake burst through. He held a boombox aloft over his head with one hand. As he walked through the door, a deep, otherworldly voice echoed from the boombox speakers and the room collectively had a moment to wonder where Jake had managed to find such a relic before the voice reverberated through their ears.  
“Welcome......to…….PAN. DE. MONIUM!!!!!!!” Jake's grin was positively electric.  
All eyes were trained to him when suddenly (triggered by a button hid, literally, up Rosa’s sleeve), confetti exploded from two cannons on either side of the room, showering everyone in the vicinity with pink, yellow, and blue confetti. Just behind Jake, above the door he'd just walked through, a banner unfurled to say, in equally bright colors, “I'm PAN, duh!” over a Technicolor drawing of an amused looking panda. Amy's eyes were wet with tears of laughter, Charles was crowing with glee, and Holt, his jaw somewhere near the vicinity of the floor, silently pulled a $20 bill out of his wallet and handed it to Terry, who stood, grinning and rocking on his toes like an excited child, with his hand outstretched. The music died down as Jake sauntered to the front of the room and stood in front of the podium. He placed the boombox down on the table in front of him and smiled, broadly, magnanimously, like a benevolent leader or an over confident toddler.  
“Yes, good people of the 99. You heard it here first. _This_ " he gestured around him, "is my grand coming out. I am, and have been for my whole life, pansexual. I will now open the floor for…” He paused and looked down to his wrist, though he was very clearly not wearing a watch, “1 minute of questions.”  
“You're still married to Amy, right?” Charles gasped out before Jake had even trailed off.  
“Of course, Charles. She's the greatest human being alive. Dumb question. Next.” Jake dismissed his best friend with the wave of his hand.  
“Oh thank god.” Charles mumbled, collapsing into his seat.  
Hitchcock and Scully looked at each other mutely for a second and then Scully shakingly raised his hand in the air.  
“Lemme guess,” Jake pointed at the older men, who looked confused and just a little bit stressed out, “ You have no idea what pansexual is and you have no idea what's happening right now.”  
They both nodded, a little relieved to be let off the hook so easily. A few more faces around the room seemed to give the same impression, and more than one cop slid their phone back in their pocket, glad to not have to try to google “what is pansexual?” without someone noticing.  
“Basically,” Jake started, hands clasped in front of him and a light in his eyes, “for me, it means that I like someone based on their personality, less about their looks. I mean, don't get me wrong, looks help,” at this, he turned and winked at his wife, who turned beat red and buried her head in her arms on the table in front of her, “but the gender isn't important. Men, women, in between, whatever. Kinda like bisexual. I just prefer pan. For me.” He paused for a breath and then looked around the room. “Any further questions?”  
“Did Gina help with the…festivities?” Terry asked from somewhere behind and to the right of Jake.  
Gina rolled her eyes. “You think Jake coulda done this without me, TerBear?” She scoffed. “As if.”  
Jake just smiled. “Alrighty then. I'm gonna sit down now, so Holt can start the briefly, but I would like the record to show that I was NOT late to the briefing this morning and I know that because we timed it perfectly.” He said this last part while turning to face Holt, who had finally managed to pick his jaw up off the floor.  
His mouth appeared stern but there was a quiet glimmer in his eyes. “No, you were not, son.” Holt said softly. He held his hand out to Jake, and after a beat Jake ignored the hand entirely and engulfed the startled captain in a hug. “I'm proud of you, Jacob.” Holt murmured after a moment. Jake's eyes were glistening when he pulled back.

A few months passed and people finally stopped finding confetti in the weirdest places (Charles’ desk yogurt, the inside of Jake's favorite sneakers, old case files, and in one instance the sheath of Rosa’s least favorite knife). Jake felt a hundred pounds lighter and Charles had finally stopped whining about the fact that Jake had never told him. After a couple too many beers at Shaw's, Rosa and Jake started making a list of the worst bi/pan puns they could think of, and Gina kept a running tally at her desk whenever one of them slipped one into conversation. Mysteriously, a flag had appeared on Rosa’s desk - pink, lavender, and blue, and one on Jake's desk - pink, yellow, and blue. They looked identical to the rainbow one on Holt’s desk, and they looked at each other and then through the open door of their captain's office. He nodded once to them, a small, approving smile appeared to twitch at the corner of his mouth, and then he went back to reading the file on his desk.  
At a briefing one morning in mid-May, Holt announces that they've been asked to walk in the NYC Pride Parade the next month. Apparently something to do with the most out cops in one precinct, or whatever, but he assured them that as soon as the parade was over they were welcome to enjoy the festivities however they please. Something akin to pride (ha, pride, he thinks) hums in Jake's chest when he feels Amy's hand curls into his under the table and he looks across the room at Rosa, who nods to him, a rare smile flickering across her features, and he thinks this must be why the festival is called Pride. He's never felt prouder than he does right now.

The morning of the parade, he's tying the tie of his dress blues and his hands are shaking a little and before he opens his mouth to call out to Amy (she's been straightening his tie on his dress blues since she joined the 99, anyway), his wife appears in the mirror behind him, the sergeants bars on her collar glinting in the light and he turns.  
“Can't do it without you, Santiago.” He says with a grin, gesturing to his crooked tie.  
“I don't know how you survived dress blues without me, Peralta.” She smirks, and then kisses her husband, fast and fierce, before adjusting his tie.  
“Hey now. I didn't know how to tie a tie until I got to the Police Academy. Gina showed me.”  
“You didn't...how did I not know this?” Amy leans back, flabbergasted.  
“I thought I told you? I mean, you knew Cap’n Crunch was the primary male role model in my home growing up. It's not like he could teach me.” Jake feels the tips of his ears go slightly warm at the admission.  
“Well,” Amy says, putting her hand over her husband's neatly tied tie, “he certainly taught you more than enough, it seems.” She reaches up on her toes and kisses Jake's nose. “And he raised an incredibly handsome man, I must say. She winks, eyes bright with laughter.  
Jake laughs and pulls his wife in, careful not to hug too tight, lest he wrinkle the pristine uniforms she'd painstakingly ironed the night before. “I love you so much” he mumbles into the warm smell of her hair.  
“I love you so much, too. Now let's go before we're late.” She smiles at him. “You have the…”  
He pats his pocket before she can finish and nods.  
When they arrive at the precinct, Rosa is sitting with her feet up on her desk, and Charles is leaning against it chattering about this amazing restaurant he took Genevieve to the night before. Rosa’s eyes are slightly glazed over but she hasn't threatened to murder him so it must be at least slightly within the realm of normal. Gina is there, though she doesn't have to be, talking to Milton across her desk, holding baby Iggy on her lap. Jake immediately rushes towards his niece (fuck you they're basically siblings) and then glows with excitement when he sees the t shirt the bright eyed toddler is wearing. “Love is love” it reads in bright rainbow letters. Gina is wearing a tank top that reads “I like my whiskey straight but my friends can go either way,” and Jake's grin is threatening to split his face. When he looks up to finally greet Milton, he sees that the man's shirt matches the one Iggy is wearing and Jake smiles impossibly brighter.  
“Alright Pineapples. We'll see you at the parade.” Gina stands up and take her daughter back. “Just wanted to see you before ya go.” She leans forward and kisses the air beside his cheek.  
Jake rolls his eyes, shakes Milton’s hand, and gives Iggy one last kiss on her forehead before they walk out the door. He turns on his heel to Rosa’s desk.  
“Heyyyy girl….” He starts and then trails off.  
“What the hell is it, Jake?” Rosa’s voice is gruff but not entirely unkind.  
He coughs sort of nervously, tugs at his collar, and finds the space in his mind to be thankful they don't have to be in full dress - his jacket would be suffocating him right now. “Can I borrow you for a second?” He manages not to choke and holds his hand out.  
She raises her eyebrow, slightly suspicious, but follows him nonetheless, ignoring his outstretched hand. He leads her to Captain Holt’s office, where he knocks on the door gently, alerting the man to their presence.  
“Peralta. Diaz. What can I do for you?” Holt looks up from his phone abruptly.  
“I...uh...can we come in?” Jake stutters, suddenly bashful.  
Holt gestures to the space in front of his desk and Rosa moves to sit down, confusion plastered across her face. Jake shuts the door and then sits down. And then stands up.  
“I uh. I just wanted to say thank you. This is the first Pride I've had since being out, and. Uh. Well. I couldn't have done it without you both. I never would've found the courage, I don't think. So. Uh. I got you both something.” He reaches into his pocket, and pulls out three small, enamel flag pins. The first, a rainbow, he hands to Captain Holt, who accepts it with an unreadable expression on his face. He then hands the pink, lavender, and blue striped one to Rosa, who looks like she's maybe fighting back tears, and he holds the third, the pink, yellow, and blue striped on in the palm of his hand.  
“I know,” he says, more to the flag in his hand than to the two other people in the room, “technically they're not part of the NYPD uniform and we can't wear them with our dress blues, but. I don't know. It's the thought I guess.” He chances a look up and Rosa is still staring at the pin in her hand but Holt is staring straight at him, eyes shining.  
“I think,” the captain says carefully, “considering that this is a celebration, we can perhaps bend the rules just slightly this time.”  
Jake is gleeful. “Really!?”  
“They are small enough. I doubt anyone will have a single complaint.” Holt considers the pin, holding it up to his breast pocket as though to measure.  
Abruptly, Rosa stands up and without saying anything, holds the pin out to Jake.  
“Oh. I, uh.” For a moment he's crestfallen, thinking she doesn't want it, and then he realizes - she's pointing to a spot on her pocket, holding it out to him.  
He shuffles for a minute, and then puts his pin on Holt’s desk and carefully pins Rosa’s in place. He steps back, and she looks down at herself, and then back at him. Her eyes are blazing, almost terrifying, but she just holds his gaze for a moment.  
“Thanks, Jake.” She finally speaks, her voice soft. Without another word, she throws the door open and bolts from the room.  
Jake looks at Holt, who simply shrugs. “Thank you, Jacob. This means more than I can express.”  
For a moment, Jake just stands there, pressing his pin into his fist, and finally chokes out “You're welcome.” He then follows the trajectory Rosa took, straight out the door.  
He nearly runs directly into Amy, who is standing by his desk, a soft look in her eyes. “I ran into Rosa in the bathroom. Or more like she ran into me.” She says, by way of explanation.  
“Ah.” Jake smiles. “She uh.”  
“Doesn't do emotion well?” Amy smiles back, and then holds her hand out.  
Jake deposits the pin into her outstretched hand, and she steps closer, carefully affixing it to the pocket of his dress shirt. When she's done, she presses her hand to his chest and leans up to kiss him, gentle and sweet.  
“It looks perfect. You look perfect.” She smiles against his lips, voice barely a mumble. He feels it more than he hears it. “You're such a good man, Jake Peralta.”  
Jake's 100% sure that if he smiles any more today his face is going to break. “That's Jake Santiago-Peralta to you, ma'am.”  
“How could I possibly forget?” Amy chuckles.  
Charles starts making cooing noises and they break apart, groaning.  
“Really, Charles? Really?” Jake grumbles.

The parade goes off without a hitch, and they make it back to the precinct, sweaty and a little exhausted.  
“Why can't we have a float?” Jake grumbles as he flops onto his desk chair, pulling his tie off gracelessly. Holt starts to speak, and then Gina busts through the door.  
“ALRIGHT, BITCHES!”  
Terry groans. “Gina. How many times have I told you? Inappropriate.”  
“Sorry TerBear.” She responds with a grin that indicates that really, she is not sorry at all. “But for real. The real party starts now, and I know y'all brought clothes to change into. Let's get back out there! Nine Nine!” She shouts to the ceiling.  
“NINE NINE!” echoes back to her, her excited coworkers suddenly a lot less tired.  
“For reals, tho. My mom and Charles’ dad are watching Iggy and Nikolaj, I brought glitter and face paint, Genevieve is bringing dinner and promised me it's not super gross-”  
“She just got a party sub platter, after Gina turned down our 5th menu plan.” Charles interrupted. Jake slightly thanked the universe.  
“-so let's go get ridiculous!” Gina finished, ignoring Charles. Genevieve showed up just then and everyone jumped to eat.  
Jake felt a tug on his arm, and a furtive looking Rosa was pulling him away from the crowd. With a longing look at the party sub platter making its way to the break room, Jake followed her in the opposite direction. They made their way to the briefing room and Rosa closed the door.  
“You okay?” Jake asked, concerned.  
Wordlessly, Rosa handed him a small bag. He reached inside, and pulled out a black t-shirt. In bright, Technicolor letters and an icon that matched the one from his banner those months before, the shirt read, “I'm Pan, duh!” Jake stood there for a moment, staring at the grinning panda, and then launched himself forward, hugging Rosa tightly. She froze, and then slowly, her arms wrapped around his back and she returned the hug. She quickly pulled back, though, and then pulled another shirt out of a different bag. It was a white tank top that just said “Queer Enough” in pink, purple, and blue ombre.  
“It's perfect.” Jake smiles, understanding.  
“Thanks for everything, Jake.” Rosa mumbles.  
He puts his hand on her arm and squeezes, briefly. “Any time.” His voice is gentle. “Now let's go eat!”  
After a brief dinner, the squad rushes to the locker rooms to change. He thinks Amy must’ve known about the shirt in advance, because he finds a new pair of sneakers - black, with bright pink, yellow, and blue accents - in his gym bag that he does not recognize. Charles crows gleefully at Jake's shirt, sporting his own shirt that reads “You know what I want my kids to be when they grow up? Happy.” Terry's shirt was clearly homemade - it's one part Gina Linetti’s screen printer and one part 3 daughters under the age of 10, and it reads “Terry Loves Love” and is covered in tiny rainbow colored handprints. When they get back to the bullpen, Alicia is there, holding Rosa’s hand, Amy's looking a little panicked as Gina paints rainbow hearts across her cheekbones, and Captain Holt and Kevin are wearing matching shirts that say “Love Always Wins.” Jake feels his heart swell, demands Gina make him beautiful, and snaps a picture on his phone - of Captain Holt and his husband, of the soft look in Rosa’s eyes as Alicia tugs on the hem of her tank top, of Amy glaring out the corner of her eye as Gina finishes adding “just a tiny bit of glitter” to the hearts she's sporting, of Genevieve and Charles and Terry and Sharon laughing about their kids.  
The squad walks the few blocks to the festival together, following the loud music and excited voices. Amy's fingers are interlaced with Jake's, and she smiles up at him. He smiles back, and turns to where Rosa is walking, hand in hand with Alicia, who nods at him with a smile. Rosa looks up and grins, her classic Rosa grin - bright and brief and if you blink you'll miss it, but Jake knows. He knows the feeling she must feel, deep in her chest, a flame that burns and spreads, he knows because he's feeling it too. That this, their small, interwoven family, walking through the growing twilight that is never truly dark, in a city that never truly sleeps, alight with joy and promise and _pride_ , this is enough. Their friendship, this warm June night on the sidewalk in Brooklyn, the feeling you get when you hold someone's hand and they _know_ , know you to your core and love you still, because, it is enough. They are enough.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave comments and kudos. I live for validation from strangers on the internet. Blessings upon your heads. (My tumblr is iamthececimonster, hit me up with requests or questions or love or whatever)


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